Sexual health among female Aboriginal university students in the Maritime Provinces of Canada: risk behaviours and health services use
Kevin Wilson A , Audrey Steenbeek A B , Mark Asbridge A , Amber Cragg A and Donald B. Langille A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Clinical Research Centre, 5790 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 1V7, Canada.
B School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, 5869 University Avenue, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada.
C Corresponding author. Email: donald.langille@dal.ca
Sexual Health 13(1) 35-42 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH15119
Submitted: 12 June 2015 Accepted: 31 August 2015 Published: 9 November 2015
Abstract
Background: Young Aboriginal Canadian people are at increased risk of negative sexual health outcomes, including sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancy. Associations between Aboriginal ethnicity and sexual risk behaviours and related health services use among sexually active female university students in eastern Canada were examined. Methods: A secondary analysis of online survey data collected from sexually active female university students under age 30 years from eight post-secondary institutions in the Maritime Provinces of Canada was carried out (N = 5010). Students were asked about their ethnic backgrounds, health services use and sexual health behaviours. Logistic regressions were used to compare Aboriginal students to Caucasian students regarding their sexual health behaviours and services use. Results: In adjusted analyses, Aboriginal students were seen to be more likely to not have used a condom (OR 2.37; 95% CI 1.34–4.18) or any form of effective contraception (OR 3.05; 95% CI 1.75–5.31) at last intercourse. They also were more likely to report any lifetime testing for pregnancy (OR 5.81; 95% CI 3.07–10.99) and STIs (OR 2.95; 95% CI 1.11–7.82). Aboriginal students accessed university health services as often as their Caucasian counterparts. Conclusions: Aboriginal women attending university in the Maritime Provinces of Canada engage in greater sexual risk taking than Caucasian women and report more related testing. Health services providers working with university students should be aware of these lower rates of barrier protection and use of contraception among Aboriginal women, and use healthcare visits as opportunities to engage these women in reducing their sexual risk taking.
Additional keywords: condoms, contraception, testing.
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